


Silvered Tongues and the Weight of Words

by lifesgreatestadventure



Category: Rune Factory 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26311591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lifesgreatestadventure/pseuds/lifesgreatestadventure
Summary: This is an expansion of Leon's mini-event that is randomly occurring, easily missed, and so grin-inducing that I had to write about it.Leon teaches Frey what might be the one phrase from the ancient language that she never expected to hear. And leaves her pondering what runs through his mind. Poor Arthur is stuck spectating these fools.
Relationships: Frey/Leon (Rune Factory)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37





	Silvered Tongues and the Weight of Words

Sometimes curiosity really did get the best of Frey. This morning, she found herself standing in front of a messy stack of papers on Arthur’s desk. ‘Translation by Leon,” was written beautiful, looping script. She ran her index finger across the ink, captured by the elegance of it. For some reason, it wasn’t surprising that this handwriting belonged to the vexing former dragon priest.

She glanced over at the heavily bound book next to the stack of papers and noticed that is was written in the ancient language that was all but dead even Leon’s original time. The foreignness of the book was entrancing as if there was a whole world to be discovered, but Frey didn’t have key, or in this case, the knowledge.

The idea that she could be missing out on a whole wealth of thoughts, people, and lives completely different than her own, yet just as vibrant gave her an idea. Why not go ask the translator himself? The thought of asking Leon for language lessons made her feel nervous, but she chalked that up to his confusing attitude towards others.

\---

The mid-summer sun was looming overhead so Frey knew that she could find Leon fishing at the beach. As she approached Dragon Lake, she spotted his long blue hair loose from its normal turban. It looked like he was fishing in just his swimming trunks. Frey’s cheeks blushed for a moment but then got herself over control _. ‘Look, everyone wears a swimsuit at the beach. This is no different,’_ she told herself in the form of a small pep talk, _‘even if not everyone looks like that.’_

By ‘that,’ Frey couldn’t help but recall Beach Day several weeks ago after she released Leon from Leon Karnak and rescued him from the Forest of Beginnings. Sure, there wasn’t a shortage of guys her age in the village but none of them looked quite like he did. He certainly was a topic that came up when the girls were done discussing their swimsuits.

 _‘Whoa, save those thoughts for later,’_ Frey gulped and steeled herself as she approached the angler. He looked so peaceful from behind, much different from his first few weeks in the town. That thought brought a small smile to her face. He seemed to be adapting quickly, much quicker than Dylas did. Although no one could fit as rapidly as Amber. She buzzed from house to house, worming her way into everyone’s hearts seemingly the first day.

“Ah, I was wondering when I would see a cute face today,” Leon’s joyful voice called out to her as she came to a stop beside him. Frey puffed out her cheeks a little at the comment but peeked down at his basket to see if he had caught anything yet. There was the world’s smallest rainbow trout, but nothing else.

“How does that stuff not give you terrible heartburn?” Frey asked, recalling when she made the mistake of grilling rainbow trout the first time she caught it. She thought that she might be able to breathe fire afterward, or at least spew venom (which might qualify her to patriciate the monster festival). As of late, she’ll just grill the fist up, if she has the time, and run it to the inn for Leon.

Leon just chuckled and gave a gentle pull of his fishing rod, “I’ve always enjoyed things that burn. Wouldn’t want life to be bland, now would we?” With that, he pulled in the line of the rod and turned to face Frey. “Enjoying the sights today?” He asked, with an inclination on the word sights, implying that he didn’t mean the lake itself.

Frey glared at Leon, the blush in her cheeks never leaving, “Yes- I mean, no, I came here to ask you a question!” She blurted out and then quickly turned her gaze out over the lake. There was a summer haze over the water, but that soon would give way to the cool autumn breeze in a couple of weeks. Summer was her favorite season, so the thought made her feel a little wistful for some reason.

“Intriguing, which of my many services do you require?” Leon asked, carefully setting his fishing rod down and placing a wicker lid on the fish basket. “I must say, I am thrilled with the chance of being used by you,” he tacked on, glancing at the farmer.

‘Always with the innuendos!’ Frey thought to herself as she turned back to face him. “Yes, I was wondering if you could teach me some of the ancient language?”

Leon’s face morphed into a mixture of surprise and seriousness as if that was the last question he was expecting from her. He paused before answering, “Every nuance and grammar rule. You’d best be prepared to take extensive notes.”

The tone Leon took in his answer made Frey gulp and gave her the idea that his words were laced with more feeling than he let on. “What?” she said mindlessly, not able to collect her thoughts.

“I’m just kidding, of course,” He chuckled, but his eyes still seemed guarded. She had noticed that his humor seemed to hide a lot about him. And that enticed Frey to get to know him more than it probably should. “Note-taking won’t be necessary. No arms needed here. Or legs, for that matter. Unless you want to run away.” He interrupted her thoughts with his silly tangent, but it relieved her that she wouldn’t need to take notes.

Leon bent down to pick up his fishing pole to pack up to leave and Frey reached out for the basket. “That would be wonderful,” she exclaimed as she reached the basket out to him. Leon grabbed the basket, his fingertips brushing again hers, causing a spark to shoot up through her arms.

“Whenever I have some spare time, I’ll teach you,” Leon replied after he settled the fishing rod over his shoulder. Frey nodded in confirmation as Leon turned to head back to town. She couldn’t help but the way the sun reflected off his shoulder muscles, giving them definition but revealing a tension that he carried there.

“What have I gotten myself in to?”

\----

A few weeks later during a cool late summer evening, Frey found herself by Arthur’s office and overheard two voices coming from the open windows.

“Well then, if you wouldn’t mind,” came Arthur’s soft voice, and then just as quickly was Leon’s deeper reply, “Of course.”

Frey then decided to drop in when she heard Leon’s voice. She hadn’t seen him yet today and was curious about what he was working on for Arthur this time. She entered the office just in time to see Arthur heading up the stairwell to the second floor.

Leon whipped around when he heard someone enter the residence, but his face relaxed when he saw it was Frey, who stood still by the door. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to approach him in response to the butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him now.

“Ah, Frey. How about you come over here instead of standing there like a post?” Leon called out, an easy smile framing his face as he placed the quill he was holding on the messy desk.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Frey said quietly as she walked towards him. _‘Why are you doing this? You have rescued all of the Guardians, fighting off countless monsters. One man should not make you this nervous!’_ She told herself, trying to give herself a quick pep talk. When approached Leon, he was still smiling at her. _‘Had he always been this tall?’_

Leon tapped his fan on Frey’s nose, “What brings you here this late in the evening?” He asked, peering down at her with passive blue eyes. “Surely not a night call to Arthur?”

Frey wrinkled her nose at the implication, but answered him honestly, “I heard your voice from outside and wanted to see you.” Leon’s eyebrows shot up, but he kept the same mildly amused expression. However, it seems like that was the right answer to him, judging from the fact that the smile on his face seemed to actually reach his eyes.

“My turn, why are you over here? Were you helping Arthur again?” Frey asked as she tried to peek around Leon’s broad shoulders at the desk covered in mounds of papers. She knew that Arthur and Leon worked closely on many projects since the Dragon Priest’s rescue.

Leon frowned and replied shortly, “Yes.” However, he looked lost in thought which caused Frey to say his name softly to get his attention.

His eyes snapped back up and said, “Er, never mind,” with an impish smile that seemed out-of-place on a face that usually held a devious grin and striking cerulean tattoos.

“Anyway, Frey-“ Leon stated, a more typical smile on his face now and Frey looked at him curiously. He moved a bit closer to her, close enough that Frey could feel his body heat radiating off of him, like the sun. He towered over her, but it was more of a comfort, as if he could blanket her from all of the troubles of the world. If she wanted to, at this distance, she could reach out and place her hand comfortably on his exposed chest. Frey had never been this close to him before, but now she never wanted to step away. His expression changed into a determined way that sent shivers down her spine. There was a weighty look in his eyes as he opened his mouth.

“ٲنَا بَحِبِّك”

The words were sounded like a melody that came flowing out of Leon’s mouth. It was over so quickly that Frey could only respond with, “huh?”

“That is a phrase from my age. It means ‘I love you.’” Leon answered her without a trace of humor. Usually, his seriousness would transform into a laugh, but this felt different.

 _‘Oh…’_ If the butterflies in her stomach were bad when she first entered Arthur’s office, it was nothing compared to the feeling now. This wasn’t what she had expected when she asked for lessons, but Frey couldn’t bring herself to complain.

There was a gentle look to Leon now, much softer than Frey thought he was capable as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I did promise after all.”

Leon’s breath tickled her ear, and with it came thoughts that were improper of a pseudo-princess. Frey felt her heart speed up as he didn’t pull away. His face was still so close to hers as he continued, “Once I found the time, I said I would teach you some of the old language.” Leon let out a soft chuckle as he brushed Frey’s bangs from her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already.”

Frey took in a breath finally and replied, “Not at all, I’ve been looking forward to it since we spoke at the beach.”

Leon finally pulled back from her slightly to study her entire face. “Really?” he paused for a moment, “well, let’s leave it at then.” He then took a step back, and Frey wasn’t sure if she wanted that or not. He then repeated the phrase one more time, and asked, “Do you have it?”

She offered a small smile to him and nodded, “Yeah, I think I get it.” Even if she didn’t, Frey was not she if her poor heart could take any more of this. However, there was one thing that was still bothering her.

“Why did you choose that phrase?”

Leon choked a little before he could utter any response. Frey decided to mark this as the first time she caught him off guard instead of the other way around. “Hm, usefulness, I suppose,” but it didn’t sound very convincing. “It is a phrase you may very well use at some point in the future,” perhaps it was more to convince himself rather than Frey.

There was an uncomfortable pause in the conversation, one that was filled with heavy thoughts and subtle implications. It was quickly broken when Leon said in a much louder voice than before, “Well then, I’ll see you later.” However, he didn’t make much motion to leave.

Frey reached out to grab his forearm, “Leon wait.” He looked down at her hand covering his arm and then met her eyes. “ٲنَا بَحِبِّك” Frey said to him with a warm grin, hopeful that she didn’t butcher the pronunciation, or that he couldn’t hear the nervousness in her voice.

Mark that was the second time Frey caught Leon off-guard today. The look of surprise on Leon’s face gave way to a deep frown. Which settled even less with Frey than the shocked expression. “What? Did I not get the pronunciation right?” Frey asked as her fingers twitched on his forearm.

Leon reached out and ruffled her hair, that easy grin overtaking his face once more. It wasn’t in a way that was his typical aggressive affection, his fingers were more or less laced through her long hair. Frey didn’t mind the hair ruffling this time. “You’re quite competitive, aren’t you?” Leon said softly as he unwound his fingers from her hair.

Frey just raised an eyebrow at Leon’s non-sequitur and just shrugged, “Maybe I am,” she replied with a laugh. Leon offered a small one in return.

“Yet, you are strangely open,” Leon noted, staring at her in a way that made Frey feel like he might discover something about herself that she didn’t even know. The tension in the air still loomed overhead, but Frey was at a loss of what to say to ease it.

As always, Leon seemed to be able to take care of the mood. “Watching you sometimes gives me a strong desire to hug you,” he exclaimed with an easy air that only he seemed to be able to master.

A warm feeling curled in her gut at that. As if this was a temporary moment in time that wasn’t subject to anything outside of Arthur’s office. In a moment of boldness, Frey decided to tip the scales in her favor for once. “Okay!” And she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Leon’s waist. She rested her cheek against his chest and could feel his muscles tense under her touch, and then relax for a moment. Leon let out a light sigh and started to wind his own arms around Frey until he took a small step back, breaking the embrace.

The priest’s cheeks were a crimson sight to behold. “Hey! Wh-what do you think you’re doing?” He asked sharply, but he was still standing close enough to Frey that she count the freckles on his skin amidst his blush-streaked cheeks.

Between Leon stumbling over his words and the ever-pleasant blush, Frey couldn’t help but grin up at him. “You just told me that is what you wanted!” Frey replied as her grin morphed into a soft smile as she reached out to rest her hand at his side. He really did look very handsome like this, caught off-guard, and less reserved than she has ever seen him. _‘Perhaps this is why Leon teases people so much.’_

As he reached out to brush mint-green bangs from the farmer’s eyes he frowned, “True, I did say that,” and left the sentence with a poignant pause. Frey wrinkled her brow as Leon was absorbed in his own head again.

Frey pressed lightly into his side with her fingertips, “Leon?” She called his name out and adjusted herself a bit closer to her. It seemed as if he was holding his breath and calculating something in his mind as he peered down at her. He pressed his index finger up to her lips.

“Hold on a moment,” Leon answered, pausing again as he finally sucked in some air. His eyes traced his lips where his finger still rest and his cheeks inflamed, impossibly more so than before.

‘ _This is a sight to see, a marvel and a wonder,’_ Frey thought to herself not breaking eye contact with Leon. ‘The dragon priest, floored, flustered, and speechless.’ She smiled behind his finger and only said, “You must realize how bright red your face is?” She teased him.

It was almost as if someone snapped at Leon’s bare skin with fire, he jerked his finger away from her lips and his flush only got worse. “Ignore that!” He exclaimed as Frey gave him a coy smile and slide her hand farther around his back to embrace him again.

“Leon, how is what we discussed coming along?” Came a dignified voice from the foot of the stairs. Arthur looked at the two and his eyes darted between their faces and then down at Frey’s arm embraced around Leon’s side. “Oh!”

Both Frey and Leon in sync jolted and turned to face the prince. Frey couldn’t imagine what it looked like to poor Arthur. Two of his friends, in front of his desk, no less!

“Hrm,” Arthur grunted to break the silence and find his voice, “I can see I’m interrupting something.” He apologized, adjusting his glasses and raising a leg to take a step back up the stairs.”

Before Frey could pry her jaw open to response, Leon simply said Arthur’s name, as if to scold him for the implication.

Arthur spun around to head back upstairs and shrugged at the pair, waving them off, “Please do remember, this is my workspace. So mind my desk, and keep it to a minimum.”

There was a torrential outpour of giggling that was threatening to rise up out of Frey as Leon choked on his words. “Keep what to a minimum?” He yelled, voice breaking in the middle of his question. Arthur didn’t answer and Frey swore she could hear him laughing as he disappeared above.

“Ah, dammit,” Leon muttered as he turned back to Frey. She grinned at him, seeing that his flustered had finally passed. “Anyways, at least I kept my promise, I should get going,” he said, turned to leave already.

Leon’s sudden change of attitude gave Frey pause. He seemed… Resigned, perhaps? Not angry, but not happy. Was he embarrassed that Arthur walked in, or something else? Whatever it was, Frey thanked him for what was looking more and more like their only ancient language lesson.

Halfway towards the door, Leon paused, his shoulder muscles tensing as if he was debating his next move. “I believe in the binding power of words,” he stated, “Every single word, trivial or important, has inherent power behind it.”

 _Wait, what._ “Oh.”

“So Frey, there is one thing we must never do,” Leon said with what felt like the weight of several lifetimes behind it, “Say words that we never mean. We may find ourselves bound to them.”

It felt like the floor had dropped out from under her. But they had just… Surely he couldn’t mean… The ancient words of ‘I love you’ rattled around in her brain along with a million other words, but the only one she could seem to say aloud was, “Oh.”

Leon then threw a hand up at her and waved, “Farewell, Frey.” And he left out of Arthur’s office, leaving her the stunned and speechless one.

All of what just transpired replayed over and over in Frey’s mind as she numbly walked back to her room. _'He couldn’t have meant what he said. Why didn’t he teach her another phrase, at least at first?'_ She thought as she continued to get more frustrated.

“Stupid Leon,” Frey grumbled when she reached her room and kicked off her boots. There were millions of words out there to start with and then to say he believed that words are binding? Why would he do that? She huffed loudly and threw herself down on her bed. Frey had never met a man so infuriating and thought-consuming in her entire life. But she couldn’t get rid of the idea that Leon meant what he said about the power of words, it might be one of the only sincere things he has said to her since his rescue.


End file.
